Traverse rods



Sept- 4, 1956 M. A. OHLANDER 2,761,499

TRAVERSE RODS m g) '0 I mf my am 3 I IN V EN TOR. Y {Lit} /I//ART//v A,Off/ANDER Q BY a f 4M 9S W s "Q n? y/ m ATTORNEYS Sept. 4, 1956 M. A.OHLANDER TRAVERSE RODS Filed NOV. 23, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /f 56 /a 3620 /Z 56 52 50 56 'ATTGRNE YS nited States Patent O 'IRAVERSE RODSMartin A. Ohlander, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Application November 23, 1955, Serial No. 548,674

8 Claims. (Cl. 160 126) This invention relates to curtain rods; and moreparticularly, to a rod for use with traverse drapes or the like.

In recent years the use of draw drapes as window and wall coverings hasbecome more and rnore common. The Vprivacy aorded by draw drapes made ofthe heavier drapery materials is much to be desired especially in themodern homes where large areas of glass are often used. Also, drawdrapes add much to the warmth and pleasant decor of a room.

In many instances, however, the present traverse rods, even of the heavyduty type, are inadequate for use with draw drapes of considerable widthwhich are often required to cover the contemporary window stylings thatfrequently include a whole wall or more of glass. Furthermore, many ofthe conventional traverse rod constructions preclude the use of morethan one set of drapes or curtains on a given wall area.

Another annoying feature of the conventional traverse rods is the factthat the pull cords which hang down from one end of the rod and are usedto actuate the mechanism for opening and closing the drapes are quiteunsightly and often hang down so far as to pile up on the oor ininstallations requiring rods of eXtra length. The cords sometimes becometangled and it is often difcult to determine which cord to pull in orderto accomplish the desired movement of the drapes.

In the conventional draw drape installation in which only one pair ofdrapes is used, the drapes must usually be lined if they are to blockout the light effectively and not fade. This, however, increases theexpense of the drapes several times over that of unlined drapes; and, insome instances, the cost becomes prohibitive if large Wall areas are tobe covered. The heavy duty traverse rod of the present invention is,however, ideally suited for use with multiple draw drape installationsin which two or more overlapping sets of drapes are used on the samewall surface. In this manner it is possible to eliminate the necessityfor lined drapes by merely using two or more drapes which overlie oneanother when drawn. Also, multiple installations of this type are.especially effective in Varying the color decor of a given wall area.Each set of drapes may be of a different color, texture and material sothat the eect created by the draperies can be changed at Will.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention toprovide a heavy duty traverse rod for use with draw drapes and the likewhich is ideally suited for use with drapes of considerable width.

A second object of the invention is the provision of a mechanism foraccomplishing movement of the drapes which eliminates the conventionalpull cord arrangement.

Another object of the invention is the provision of ya traverse rodwhich is ideally suited for use with multiple drapery installations.

Further objects of the invention are the provision of a rod for drawdrapes which is decorative in appearance; a rod which is simple toinstall; and, a rod which .is lightweight although rugged.

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Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed outspecifically hereinafter in connection with the description of thedrawing which follows, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the traverse rod of the present inventionwith portions thereof broken away to conserve space and to show thedetails of construction more clearly;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the actuators looking in the.direction of arrow 2 Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken along line 3 3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a view showing oiie of the hangers with a portion thereofbroken away to expose the operating cable;

Figure 5 is a section taken along line 5 5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a section taken along line 6 6 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a section taken along 'line 7 7 of Figure l;

Figure 8 is a 'section 'taken along line 8 8 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a side elevation showing a multiple installation of thetraverse rods of the present invention; and,

Figure 10 is a front elevation showing a slightly modied form of thetraverse rod of the present invention which is used with a single paneldraw drape.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the rod 12 acts as thesupporting member for the draw drape panels, not shown, which aresuspended therefrom on a plurality of hangers 14 and two actuators 16.Rod 12 is formed from a solid piece of material, preferably alightweight metal such as aluminum or magnesium. The upper edge of therod is provided with a longitudinal groove 18 extending from end to end;and, a second vlongitudinal groove 20 along the lower edge of a size andshape to receive and retain the sleeves 22 and 24 for slidablelongitudinal movement therein. Opposite ends of the rod 12 are fastenedto wall brackets 26 by means of fasteners 28 which are in turn fastenedto the wall surface 30 by fasteners 32.

The ends of the rod are slotted as shown at 34 to receive end pulleys 36mounted therein for rotational movement on pins 38 which extend in thedirection of the thickness of the rod. The rods of Figures l through 9,inclusi-ve, also contain a central opening 40 extending in the directionof the width of the rod and interconnecting grooves 18 and 20. Opening46 is sized to receive center pulleys 42, as shown most clearly inFigure l. A grooved hand reel 44 provided with handle 46 is attached tothe wall surface 30 by means of mounting plate 48 beneath one lof theend pulleys 36 at the end lof the rod.

One end of operating .cable 49 is attached within one groove of reel 44by set screw 45 and extends over the top of the near end pulley 36,yalong groove 18 and over the top of the near .center pulley 42, alongthe underside of the far center pulley, along groove 2l?, around far endpulley 36 at the other end of the rod, in the reverse direction 'alonggroove 18, over the top of the far center pulley land underneath thenear center pulley, along groove 2l), over pulley 50 and back to thereel 44 where it is fastened in the other groove thereof by set screw47.. Pulley 56 is mounted on pin 52 between sideplates .54 which arefastened to the end of rod 12 adjacent one of the .end pulleys by meansof fastener 55. Pulley 50 is positioned beneath and inside one of theend pulleys 36 in position to rotate Within groove 25?.

A tension spring 58 is spliced into cable 49 to fkeep it under constant.tension against the pulleys and reel. Speciiically, in .connectionwithFigures l, 2 and 5, it will be seen that the actuators 16 are of theconventional type formed from a plate provided with a plurality of holes60 in spaced relation for the reception of the conventional draperyhooks, not shown. The hangers are designed to assume an overlappingparallel relation as shown in Figure 2 when in closed position so thatno gap will appear between the drapery panels. Each actuator extendsbeneath the rod and is carried by sleeve 24 within longitudinal groove29. Sleeve 24 is mounted for slidable longitudinal movement withingroove and is provided with a set screw 62 which is used to fasten thesleeve to the cable which runs therethrough so that the actuators willmove in conjunctionwith the cable.

In connection with Figures 1, 3 and 4, it will be seen that the hangers14 are formed of wire bent to form three spaced loops 64 to receivetheconventional drapery hooks, not shown, on the intermediate portions ofthe drapery panels. In many draw drape designs only one or two loops inthe hangers are required and, of course, the hangers can be fashionedaccordingly. Each of the hangers is mounted within one of the sleeves 22for longitudinal slidable movement within groove 20 of the rod. Cable 49also passes through sleeves 22 but is freely slidable therein ratherthan being attached to the sleeve as was the case in connection with theactuator sleeves 24 described above.

it will be apparent from an examination of Figure 1 of the drawing thatclockwise movement of handle 46 of the reel will cause movement of thecable 29 in a direction to move the actuators toward one another intothe closed position shown in Figure 2. This, of course, causes draperypanels suspended from the actuators and hangers to move into closedposition. It is not necessary that the hangers be attached to the cableas each hanger will successively be drawn toward the center of the rodas the folds in the drape are pulled taut in the conventional manner. Inorder to open the drape the reel is rotated in a counter-clockwisedirection which causes the actuators to move apart and the actuatorswill, in turn, engage the hangers and move them out toward the ends ofthe rod.

Figure 7 illustrates the position of pulley 50 with relation to groove2@ of the rod and shows how the pulley is mounted for rotation betweenthe side plates 54 fastened thereto.

Figure 6 illustrates the relation between the reel 44, pulley 59 and theadjacent end pulley 36. The reel, of course, is preferably mounted at aconvenient height on the wall behind the drapery panels so that it willnot show regardless of Whether the drapes are open or closed. The use ofthe reel 44 obviously eliminates the conventional unsightly pull cordswhich often extend to the floor. Tension spring 58 maintains cable 49 intaut condition to frictionally engage the reel and pulleys so that itwill not slip.

In connection with Figure 8 it will be seen that the reel and handle aremounted on stubshaft 66 for rotational movement. In the preferredconstruction opening 68 in the reel and handle is sized slightly largerthan the end 70 of the stubshaft which is of greater diameter than theshaft itself so that the reel may be taken ofI by merely removing screw69 and centering the opening therein on the end 7i) of the shaft.

Referring now in particular to Figure 9 of the drawing, it will be seenthat a multiple installation has been illustrated in which three of therods 12 have been mounted in spaced parallel relation on modifiedbracket 26a. The reels 44 are mounted in vertical staggered relationbeneath their respective rods, as shown, with the reel mounted thegreatest distance from the wall surface being uppermost. The stubshafts66, 66a and 66b are of different lengths to position the reels instaggered relation.

Figure 10 illustrates a modified form of rod 12a for use with a singledrapery panel, not shown. In this construction the central opening iseliminated along with the center pulleys 42. Only one actuator 16a isused which moves the entire length of the rod. All the hangers arepositioned between the actuator and the end of the rod having pulley 50.In this instance, cable 49 passes from the reel over pulley 36, alonggroove 18, around pulley 36 at the other end of the rod, back alonggroove 2t) and over pulley 56 back to the reel. Clockwise movement ofthe reel, not shown, will cause the actuator 16a to move from right toleft in Figure 2; whereas, counter-clockwise movement will cause theactuator' to move from left to right.

From the foregoing description of the drawing it will be seen that themany novel and useful objectives of the traverse rod of the presentinvention have been achieved; and therefore,

l claim:

1. A traverse rod for draw drapes comprising: an elongated solid rodhaving longitudinal groove in the top and bottom edges extendingsubstantially from end to` end thereof, the groove in the bottom edgebeing formed to receive and retain a plurality of tubular members forlongitudinal slidable movement therein, and the ends of the rod beingslotted from top to bottom; brackets attached near opposite ends of therod for fastening said rod to a wall surface in spaced parallel relationthereto; an end pulley mounted for rotation in the slots in each end ofthe rod; a third pulley mounted between the end pulleys adjacent one endof the rod for rotation in the groove along the bottom edge of the rod;a plurality of tubular sleeves mounted Within the groove in the bottomof the rod for longitudinal slidable movement therein; means adapted toreceive drapery hooks and support draw drape panels depending from eachof the tubular sleeves and extending below the rod; a reel attached tothe wall surface for rotation beneath the end of the rod having thethird pulley; an operating cable extending from the reel over theadjacent end pulley, around the other end pulley, over the third pulleyand back to the opposite side of the reel, the portions of the cableextending between the ends of the rod lying in the grooves in the topand bottom edges thereof, the portions of the cable lying in the grooveinthe bottom edge of the rod being threaded `through the tubular sleevestherein; and, at least one actuator formed by attaching one of thesleeve members to the cable running therethrough, said actuator formingmeans for opening and closing draw drapes suspended from said actuatorand the remaining means for receiving the drapery hooks when said cableis moved along the rod by rotation of the reel.

2. A device in accordance with claim l in which: the operating cableextends upwardly from one side of the reel and over the adjacent endpulley, along the groove in the top of the rod and around the end pulleyon the other end of the rod, through each of the tubular sleeves andover the third pulley to the other side of the reel;

and, one actuator is used and is formed by attaching the sleeve farthestfrom the third pulley to the cable.

3. A device in accordance with claim l in which a tension spring isspliced into the operating cable for maintaining a constant tension onthe pulleys and reel.

4. A traverse rod for draw drapes comprising: an elongated solid rodhaving longitudinal grooves in 'the top and bottom edges extendingsubstantially from end to end thereof, the groove in the bottom edgebeing formed to receive and retain a plurality of tubular members forlongitudinal slidable movement ther the ends of the rod being slottedfrom top to bottom, and the center of the rod having an opening thereinconnectingthe grooves in the top and bottom of the rod; bracketsattached near the opposite ends of the rod for fastening said rod to awall surface in spaced parallel relation thereto; an end pulley mountedfor rotation in the slots in each end of the rod; a third pulley mountedbetween the end pulleys adjacent one end of the rod for rotation in thegroove along the bottom edge of the rod; two

longitudinally spaced center pulleys mounted for rotation in the openingin the center of the rod; a plurality of tubular sleeves mounted withinthe groove along the bottom edge of the rod for longitudinal slidablemovement therein, some of said sleeves lying on one side of the centralopening and the remainder on the other; hangers depending from each ofthe tubular sleeves and extending blow the rod to receive and supportdrapery panels suspended therefrom by drapery hooks; a reel attached tothe wall surface for rotation beneath the end of the rod having thethird pulley; an operating cable passing from one side of the reel upover the near end pulley, along the groove in the top of the rod andover the near center pulley, down through the central opening and underthe far center pulley, through each of the sleeves on the far side ofthe central opening and up over the far end pulley, along the groove inthe top of the rod in the reverse direction and over the far centerpulley, again down through the central opening and beneath the nearcenter pulley, through each of the sleeves on the near side of thecentral opening, and over the third pulley to the opposite side of thereel, the two portions of the cable lying on opposite sides of thecentral opening and passing through the sleeves moving away from oneanother upon rotation of the reel in one direction and toward each otherwhen rotated in the opposite direction; and, two actuators formed byfastening one sleeve member on each side of the central opening to thecable for opening and closing drapery panels attached thereto uponrotation of the reel.

5. A device in accordance with claim 2 in which a tension spring isspliced into the operating cable for maintaining a constant tension onthe pulleys and reel.

6. A device in accordance with claim 2 in which: the reel is providedwith two peripheral grooves; and, the operating cable has two ends, oneof said ends being attached to the reel Within one of the grooves andwound around the reel in one direction, and the other of said ends isattached to the reel within the other groove and wound about the reel inthe opposite direction.

7. A device in accordance with claim 2 in which the actuators are formedby the two tubular sleeves adjacent one another on opposite sides of thecentral opening.

8. A multiple traverse rod for use with overlapping pairs of draw drapescomprising in combination: wall brackets mounted on a wall surface inspaced longitudinal relation; at least two elongated solid rods mountedon the wall brackets in spaced parallel relation to each other atditerent distances from the wall surface, each of said rods havinglongitudinal grooves in their top and bottom edges extendingsubstantially from end to end thereof, the grooves in the bottom edgesbeing formed to receive and retain a plurality of tubular members forlongitudinal slidable movement therein, the ends of each rod beingslotted from top to bottom, and the center of each rod having an openingtherein connecting the grooves in the top and bottom of the rod; an endpulley mounted for rotation in the slotted end of each rod; a thirdpulley mounted between the end pulleys adjacent the same end of each rodfor rotation in the groove along the bottom edge of the rod; twolongitudinally spaced center pulleys mounted for rotation in the openingin the center of each rod; a plurality of tubular sleeves mounted withinthe groove along the bottom edge of each rod for longitudinal slidablemovement therein, some of said sleeve lying on one side of the centralopening and the remainder on the other; hangers depending from each ofthe tubular sleeves of each rod and extending below the rod to receiveand support drapery panels suspended therefrom by drapery hooks; a reelfor each rod attached to the wall surface for rotation beneath the endof the rod having the third pulley, the reels being in staggeredrelation with the reel corresponding to the rod farthest from the wallsurface being uppermost and likewise spaced farthest from the wall; anoperating cable passing from one side of each reel up over the near endpulley on the corresponding rod, along the groove in the top of the rodand over the near center pulley, down through the central opening andunder the far center pulley, through each of the sleeves on the far sideof the central opening and up over the far end pulley, along the groovein the top of the rod in the reverse direction and over the far centerpulley, again down through the central opening and beneath the nearcenter opening, and over the third pulley to the opposite side of thereel, the two portions of the cable lying on opposite sides of thecentral opening and passing through the sleeves of each rod moving awayfrom one another upon rotation of the corresponding reel in onedirection and toward each other when rotated in the opposite direction;and, two actuators on each rod formed by fastening one sleeve memberthereof on each side of the central opening to the cable for opening andclosing drapery panels suspended from each rod upon rotation of thecorresponding reel.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,184,231 Dow et al. May 23, 1916 1,649,215 Brown Nov. 15, 19271,904,588 Weinberg Apr. 18, 1933 1,972,604 Smith Sept. 4, 1934 FOREIGNPATENTS 332,074 Great Britain July 17, 1930

